Laurence Olivier
Known for
Laurence Olivier is considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century and a guiding figure of British theater and film. He dominated the stage with legendary Shakespearean roles like Richard III and Othello, and directed and starred in a film trilogy of the Bard's works —'Henry V', 'Hamlet', and 'Richard III'— that redefined classic cinema. On screen he also shone in 'Wuthering Heights', Hitchcock's 'Rebecca', and, in his maturity, in 'Sleuth' and 'Marathon Man'. Founder and first director of Britain's National Theatre, he received four Academy Awards and was made a life peer. He died in 1989, and his name endures in the Laurence Olivier Awards; his register combined a prodigious technique with an overwhelming stage authority.
Laurence Olivier
61 Movies
11 Series
Laurence Olivier is considered one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century and a guiding figure of British theater and film. He dominated the stage with legendary Shakespearean roles like Richard III and Othello, and directed and starred in a film trilogy of the Bard's works —'Henry V', 'Hamlet', and 'Richard III'— that redefined classic cinema. On screen he also shone in 'Wuthering Heights', Hitchcock's 'Rebecca', and, in his maturity, in 'Sleuth' and 'Marathon Man'. Founder and first director of Britain's National Theatre, he received four Academy Awards and was made a life peer. He died in 1989, and his name endures in the Laurence Olivier Awards; his register combined a prodigious technique with an overwhelming stage authority.
Movies
Plays Marcus Licinius Crassus
Spartacus
1960
Plays Loren Hardeman
The Betsy
1978
Plays Zeus
Clash of the Titans
1981
Plays Maxim de Winter
Rebecca
1940
Plays Dr. Jan Spaander
A Bridge Too Far
1977
Plays Heathcliff
Wuthering Heights
1939
Plays Admiral Hood
The Bounty
1984
Plays Mr. Darcy
Pride and Prejudice
1940
Plays Ezra Lieberman
The Boys from Brazil
1978
Plays Dr. Christian Szell
Marathon Man
1976
Plays Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding
Battle of Britain
1969
Plays Mahdi
Khartoum
1966
Plays Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Dracula
1979
Plays Andrew Wyke
Sleuth
1972
Plays Field Marshal Sir John French
Oh! What a Lovely War
1969
Plays Cantor Rabinovitch
The Jazz Singer
1980
Director
Plays Hamlet - Prince of Denmark / Voice of Ghost
Hamlet
1948
Plays Julius
A Little Romance
1979
Plays Larry Durrant
21 Days
1940
Plays Newhouse
Bunny Lake Is Missing
1965
Director
Plays The Regent
The Prince and the Showgirl
1957
Plays Count Witte
Nicholas and Alexandra
1971
Plays Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
The Shoes of the Fisherman
1968
Plays Lord Horatio Nelson
That Hamilton Woman
1941
Director
Plays Richard III
Richard III
1955
Plays Nicholas 'Nick' Allen
Westward Passage
1932
Plays Professor James Moriarty
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution
1976
Plays Johnnie, the Trapper
49th Parallel
1941
Plays Rudolf Hess
Wild Geese II
1985
Plays Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
The Jigsaw Man
1983
Plays Gen. Douglas MacArthur
Inchon
1981
Plays Othello
Othello
1965
Plays Michael Ingolby
Fire Over England
1937
Director
Plays King Henry
Henry V
1944
Plays George Hurstwood
Carrie
1952
Plays Gen. Burgoyne
The Devil's Disciple
1959
Plays The Old Soldier
War Requiem
1989
Plays Police Constable 94-B
The Magic Box
1952
Plays Duke of Wellington
Lady Caroline Lamb
1972
Plays Everard Logan
The Divorce of Lady X
1938
Plays Archie Rice
The Entertainer
1960
Plays Tony McVane
Q Planes
1939
Plays Lieutenant Ned Nichols
Friends and Lovers
1931
Plays Graham Weir
Term of Trial
1962
Director
Plays Dr. Ivan Chebutikin
Three Sisters
1970
Plays Julian Rolfe
The Yellow Ticket
1931
Producer
Plays MacHeath
The Beggar's Opera
1953
Plays Ivan Kouznetsoff
The Demi-Paradise
1943
Plays Orlando
As You Like It
1936
Plays Clifford Mortimer
A Voyage Round My Father
1984
TV Shows
Plays Narrator
The World at War
1973
Plays Pfeuffer
Wagner
1983
Plays Harry Burrard
Lost Empires
1986
Plays Nicodemus
Jesus of Nazareth
1977
Plays King William III of Orange
Peter the Great
1986
Plays Self - Presenter
Male of the Species
1969
Plays Gaius
The Last Days of Pompeii
1984
Plays Alexander Flyte
Brideshead Revisited
1981
Creator
Plays Big Daddy
Laurence Olivier Presents
1976
Plays Harry
Great Performances
1971
Plays James Tyrone Sr.
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
1969
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
War Requiem
Full Filmography
War Requiem
The Old Soldier
1989
Film
Lost Empires
Harry Burrard · 7 episodes
1986
TV
Peter the Great
King William III of Orange · 4 episodes
1986
TV
Wild Geese II
Rudolf Hess
1985
Film
The Last Days of Pompeii
Gaius · 3 episodes
1984
TV
The Bounty
Admiral Hood
1984
Film
A Voyage Round My Father
Clifford Mortimer
1984
Film
Wagner
Pfeuffer · 10 episodes
1983
TV
The Jigsaw Man
Adm. Sir Gerald Scaith
1983
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Laurence Olivier still alive?
Laurence Olivier passed away on July 11, 1989 at age 82.
What are the most famous roles of Laurence Olivier?
Laurence Olivier is best known for roles in Spartacus, Rebecca, Marathon Man.
How many movies has Laurence Olivier been in?
Over a 59-year career (since 1930), Laurence Olivier has appeared in 61 movies and 8 TV shows.
What was Laurence Olivier's first movie?
The career of Laurence Olivier began with The Temporary Widow (1930).
What is Laurence Olivier's most recent movie or series?
Laurence Olivier's most recent release is War Requiem, which premiered on January 6, 1989.
What TV shows has Laurence Olivier appeared in?
On television, Laurence Olivier has appeared in Jesus of Nazareth, The World at War, The Oscars, Brideshead Revisited.
Laurence Olivier
1907-05-22 · Dorking, Surrey, England, UK
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM (22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and John Gielgud, dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. He also worked in films throughout his career, playing more than fifty cinema roles. Late in his career, he had considerable success in television roles.
His family had no theatrical connections, but Olivier's father, a clergyman, decided that his son should become an actor. After attending a drama school in London, Olivier learned his craft in a succession of acting jobs during the late 1920s. In 1930 he had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives, and he appeared in his first film. In 1935 he played in a celebrated production of Romeo and Juliet alongside Gielgud and Ashcroft, and by the end of the decade he was an established star. In the 1940s, together with Richardson and John Burrell, Olivier was the co-director of the Old Vic, building it into a highly respected company. There his most celebrated roles included Shakespeare's Richard III and Sophocles's Oedipus. In the 1950s Olivier was an independent actor-manager, but his stage career was in the doldrums until he joined the avant garde English Stage Company in 1957 to play the title role in The Entertainer, a part he later played on film. From 1963 to 1973 he was the founding director of Britain's National Theatre, running a resident company that fostered many future stars. His own parts there included the title role in Othello (1965) and Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (1970).
Among Olivier's films are Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), and a trilogy of Shakespeare films as actor-director: Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955). His later films included The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Sleuth (1972), Marathon Man (1976), and The Boys from Brazil (1978). His television appearances included an adaptation of The Moon and Sixpence (1960), Long Day's Journey into Night (1973), Love Among the Ruins (1975), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1976), Brideshead Revisited (1981) and King Lear (1983).
Olivier's honours included a knighthood (1947), a life peerage (1970) and the Order of Merit (1981). For his on-screen work he received four Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, five Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. The National Theatre's largest auditorium is named in his honour, and he is commemorated in the Laurence Olivier Awards, given annually by the Society of London Theatre. He was married three times, to the actresses Jill Esmond from 1930 to 1940, Vivien Leigh from 1940 to 1960, and Joan Plowright from 1961 until his death.